R. P Macfarlane, B. H Patrick, P. M Johns, C. J Vink, (1998)

Travis Marsh, Invertebrate Inventory & Analysis

SUMMARY
Renaming the enlarged wetland of Travis swamp to a marsh would improve the perception of its value, so we use marsh in our report.

The biodiversity of endemic invertebrate (confined to New Zealand) species from this marsh compares favourably to other herb to shrub communities investigated in lowland New
Zealand.

There are 467 insect species recorded from Travis Marsh and 81 % of these species are endemic and only 3 % were clearly vagrants. Of these species 40-70 % of the species are likely to be characteristic of marshes and wet pastures.

The great reduction in manuka and raupo and loss of toetoe has probably lead to a loss of at least 10 insect species with beetles being among the more prominent possible examples (Appendix 2).

A further 55 species of the other larger invertebrates (spiders, centipedes, millipedes, landhoppers, slaters, snails, slugs, earthworms, flatworms) were found at Travis Marsh.